The federal Liberal government learned Friday it may have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can’t support it.
Within Bill C-65, the “Electoral Participation Act,” the Liberals are trying to move the next fixed election date from Oct. 20, 2025 to Oct. 27, 2025, citing conflicts with a series of fall holidays and local elections.
However, it’s come to light that postponing the vote by even one day has the knock-on effect of securing pensions for 80 MPs first elected in 2019 who wouldn’t qualify if they lost their seats before hitting their six year service mark: Oct. 21, 2025.
Already facing strong headwinds heading into debate on the legislation – with the New Democrats vowing to amend this portion of the bill and Conservatives coming out against a later vote – the Liberals learned Friday that they also don’t have the backing of the Bloc Quebecois.
With the Liberals in a minority standing, they will need another party’s support to pass the legislation, and in debate made an effort to note the range of other measures within Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s Bill C-65 that they hope the opposition can still get behind.
“Let’s allow the process, allow it to go to committee… If all the opposition parties and maybe even some Liberals say we want to have it on ‘X’ date as opposed to this date, well, we will go with the majority,” said Liberal parliamentary secretary Kevin Lamoureux.
This is a developing story, check back for updates…
